Petria Ladgrove

Dec 7, 2024 | abc.net.au | Petria Ladgrove |Belinda Smith |Ann Jones

For many millennials, the 1994 Disney coming-of-age classic The Lion King formed an integral part of our childhood. We gasped as the king of the Pride Lands, Mufasa, tragically died, trampled under the hooves of stampeding wildebeest. We wept as his heartbroken son and heir Simba left his home range, then cheered as he dethroned his villainous uncle Scar and took his rightful place as king. Loading... The movie was also a massive box office hit.

Nov 17, 2024 | rnz.co.nz | Petria Ladgrove |Belinda Smith

By Petria Ladgrove and Belinda Smith, ABCDahhh dum. Dahhh dum. The ominous theme music in the 1975 movie Jaws invoked terror in cinemas, and nearly half a century later, those two notes still signify the presence of a lurking menace. The Steven Spielberg thriller, based on the 1974 novel of the same name, told the story of the hunt for a gigantic, bloodthirsty, rogue shark that attacked numerous swimmers at a fictional beach resort in the US over a summer.

Aug 23, 2024 | abc.net.au | Ann Jones |Petria Ladgrove |Belinda Smith

A lot of reproduction in the natural world happens via "internal insemination", and most is done with a penis (or a penis-like organ). Loading... But there's no one shape or size when it comes to a penis in the animal world.  A heads up: This article contains images of weird and wonderful animal penises, so you might get a few looks and questions if you're reading this on your commute or at work. Animal penises can be coiled and spiky, feature jaws or nails and are often made of collagen.

Aug 16, 2024 | abc.net.au | Petria Ladgrove |Ann Jones

When David Siveter examined rocks collected from rural west England in the 1990s, he didn't expect to find the world's oldest-known penis. When the University of Leicester palaeontologist and his colleagues created a 3D model of the fossilised remains of a tiny 5mm-long crustacean they saw what he calls "a very long prolongation coming from the posterior part of the body region".

Aug 15, 2024 | abc.net.au | Tim Symonds |Ariel D. Gross |Brendan O'Neill |Petria Ladgrove |James Bullen |Claire Slattery | +1 more

Join Natasha Mitchell for a live discussion to hear why we need to cherish dark skies. And share the night sky with RN listeners from around Australia to celebrate Science Week. When did you last see a truly dark sky? Light pollution in our cities and thousands of satellites are making the night sky brighter and brighter but what impact is this having on animals and on our health and wellbeing?